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International compliance

All international students must meet certain course requirements and visa conditions to study at Federation University in Australia.

As an international student, it's important to understand your responsibilities and what's expected of you during your studies. The information below provides guidance on visa requirements, academic progress and other important matters to help you stay on track and succeed at university. 

Requirements

Your rights as an international student are protected by:

We follow the ESOS framework to make sure you get a quality education and rewarding study experience. ESOS applies to anyone with an Australian Subclass 500 Student visa. Explore the ISANA resources to see how ESOS protects you.

We also have our own policies and procedures to help you meet your course requirements. These cover things like the admissions process, credit transfer, student support and academic progression.

Getting a visa to study in Australia can be complicated. Not all visas are the same, and it's your responsibility to meet the conditions. Not sure what these are? Check with Visa Entitlement Verification Online (VEVO).

It's also important that you:

  • maintain your enrolment and attend classes
  • follow the rules about working hours 
  • keep your University contact details up to date 
  • check your student emails regularly
  • tell us if you plan to leave Australia before the end of semester.

Your enrolment must match the details in the CoE we sent you after you paid your fees, including what course you're studying and for how long.

You must tell the Department of Home Affairs if your study situation or personal details change.

If you fail to follow the conditions of your student visa or maintain your enrolment, your visa may be cancelled and you may lose your right to stay in Australia. If you have questions about your visa, speak with a registered migration agent or visit the Department of Home Affairs website for more information. 

You must maintain valid Overseas Student Health Cover (OSHC) for the duration of your student visa. OSHC helps cover the cost of medical and hospital care while you are studying in Australia. Learn more about OSHC on the Study Australia website. 

You may be able to do some paid work while studying (if your visa lets you). Work rules can change, and not all visas are the same. It's your responsibility to meet the conditions of your visa.

Not sure what your visa conditions are? Check them using Visa Entitlement Verification Online (VEVO). Visit the Department of Home Affairs and Study Australia websites regularly for the latest requirements.

If your employer needs a letter confirming when your course is on semester break, contact our International Student Advisory team. 

If placement is a compulsory part of your course, the hours you spend on placement generally don't count towards your student visa work restrictions. Speak with your placement coordinator and check your student visa work conditions with the Department of Home Affairs.

Your Unique Student Identifier (USI) is your individual education number for life. If you’ve studied in Australia since 2015, you’ll already have a USI. If you haven’t, you can create a USI online. You can create a USI after you arrive in Australia using your passport and visa.

When you start your course at Federation, you must complete the online International Student Essentials program. It is a visa requirement and you can find it on Moodle, our learning management system.

It brings together the information and tips you need to live and study in Australia, as an international student, including your rights and responsibilities and how to stay safe. It takes about an hour to complete, and you can refer to it at any point during your studies.

Your academic progress must be deemed satisfactory in order to keep your student visa. Read your course handbook to find out what’s considered satisfactory. Some courses, like English and Academic Preparation, also have a minimum attendance requirement. You'll find more info about academic progress in our Monitoring Course / Qualification Progression Procedure.

If we think you’re not meeting these conditions, we’ll arrange a meeting to see how we can help. After that, if your progress is still inadequate, we may suspend or cancel your enrolment (which we must report to The Department of Home Affairs). If you don't think this is fair, you can lodge an appeal.

Your Confirmation of Enrolment (CoE) specifies the expected duration of your course. This is usually based on a full-time study load of 60 credit points per semester.

Your course length might change if: 

If we're not offering the pre-requisite unit you need, consider a cross-provider or cross-institutional enrolment. Cross-provider enrolment means doing one or more units at another Federation location. Cross-institutional enrolment means doing one or more units at another university in Australia.

If you'll be studying for longer than you originally planned, you must apply for a new CoE (see below). You may also need to apply for a new student visa. If you complete your course early or receive credit exemption that reduces the duration of your studies, we must report this to Department of Home Affairs and the duration of your student visa may be reduced.

Find out more by reading our Completion Within the Expected Duration of Study Procedure.

Changing your course may affect your CoE and student visa. For example, changing from a bachelor's degree to a diploma may require a new student visa. If you want to change your course, you'll need to apply and receive an offer letter before a new CoE is issued.

Before making any changes, speak with the International Student Advisory team and consider how the change may affect your visa requirements. You can also refer to Study Australia and the Department of Home Affairs. 

If something out of your control prevents you from studying, you may be able to reduce your study load or take a break from your studies. However, leave or deferral is usually approved only in compassionate, compelling or exceptional circumstances and must be approved by the University. Contact the International Student Advisory team at isa@federation.edu.au for advice and support, or find our how to take leave, reduce your study load, defer or withdraw. 

Suspension or cancellation of enrolment by the University

We can suspend or cancel your enrolment due to:

  • unacceptable behaviour
  • plagiarism
  • breaches of discipline
  • unsatisfactory program progress
  • unsatisfactory attendance (if applicable).

See the Federation University Australia (Students) Regulations for more detail.

If don't agree with our decision, you have 20 working days to make an appeal.

If we suspend or cancel your enrolment, we must notify the Department of Home Affairs. This may affect your student visa.

If you want to study your course at a different Federation campus, you must follow our Transfer between Teaching Locations Procedure.

If you decide to permanently transfer to a different education provider, you can apply to withdraw from Federation. If this happens in your first six months with us, we’ll follow our Transfer Between Registered Providers procedure.

Before making any changes, speak with the International Student Advisory team and consider how a transfer may affect your student visa. Additional guidance is available from the Department of Home Affairs and Study Australia. 

If you need to apply for a new Confirmation of Enrolment (CoE), complete the relevant form. 

Application for new Confirmation of Enrolment (Federation research students)
Application for new Confirmation of Enrolment (Federation Master of Social Work (Qualifying) students)
Application for new Confirmation of Enrolment (other on-campus Federation students)

If you have any problems while you’re studying, get in touch. If you need help understanding or appealing a decision we’ve made, contact Student Advocacy.